An Unexpected Gift
by cranesinthesky
Summary: Rick and Michonne receive an unexpected surprise for Christmas. AU. Part of the Richonne Writing Network 2018 Holiday Series.


_A/N: This is part of the Richonne Writing Network 2018 Holiday Series. This is actually a picture prompt and all credit goes to Virellya on tumblr (formally michonnesus) for the amazing visual she created. You can check it out on the RWN visual page. This story can easily fit in the Honey Bees universe or as a stand-alone fic. Enjoy!_

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Rick turned his truck into the driveway of their rental house, the beautiful log cabin perched perfectly on a hill just at the bottom of the Blue Ridge mountains. String lights were strung along the wrap-around porch- courtesy of the owners- along with fresh wreaths that added to the charm of the place. The property was the epitome of Christmas.

Rick and Michonne had decided at the last minute to go on a quick getaway for the holiday. The last few months had been rough for them- with demanding careers, three kids at different age stages that required a little extra loving and a home renovation that was taking longer than what they were promised, they needed a break from their usual home life. What better time to do it than Christmas?

He parked beside Michonne's SUV and glanced at the time on the dashboard. 10:15 pm. Michonne and the kids had arrived a day early to get everything situated while Rick stayed back to finish his shifts at work. He also had the special task of bringing in the gifts without the kids noticing him, their very own Santa Claus- except his version of the sleigh was the backseat of his truck.

The house was quiet with the exception of music playing softly upstairs. Rick guessed that Michonne was trying to put their one-year-old son, Andre, to sleep. Unlike Judith and Carl, who each fell asleep easily and on time as babies, Andre was a night owl who seemed to gain more energy whenever his bedtime approached. The only possible way to convince him to sleep was soft music and his parents' arms wrapped around him, and even then, it still took him about an hour to go down.

Exhausted, Rick made his way into his and Michonne's bedroom down the hall. He smiled as soon as he walked through the doorway. Michonne had decorated their whole suite with string lights, providing a calming ambiance that was perfect for this particular evening. They were neatly strung along the window and on the wall around the king sized bed, a little extra flair that he knew would come in handy when they planned to christen the bed later that evening.

While he waited on Michonne, he collapsed on the bed, his eyes closed before his head even hit the pillow. He pulled his feet up and placed his hand over his forehead as he let out a deep sigh, the tension that had been in his shoulders all day slowly starting to ease up. He guessed old age was starting to creep up to him because his body ached in places he had never had an issue with before. Michonne liked to tease him that it wasn't a good look.

" _Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… in my mind, I want you to be free…"_

Rick smiled at the song- Silent Night by The Temptations. It had become a staple in their household, with Michonne playing it at the beginning of the holiday season every year. They quickly learned that it was Andre's favorite song to fall asleep to as well.

He was just about to fall into a slumber of his own when he felt someone nudge his knee. He opened his eyes to see his wife standing above him, the baby monitor in her hand. Even as tired as she looked, she could still pass for one of the most beautiful angels that walked the earth.

"Move over," she instructed softly.

"Hey." He maneuvered himself so that he wasn't taking up so much space on the bed, making enough room for her to cuddle up beside him.

Michonne held the monitor out so that they could both look at the screen. Andre appeared in front of them, his eyes closed and the green pacifier still in his mouth, but he had a smile on his face.

"Your son has been laughing in his sleep for the past few nights. I have no idea what he's dreaming about but whatever it is, it must be hilarious."

"He's a character." Rick chuckled, a smile spreading across his own face as he looked at their baby boy. "He gets that from you."

"I believe that's more of your trait," she told him, setting the monitor on the nightstand.

Rick reached down to pull off his boots. "It's good to be here. It feels like home," he sighed contently, placing them on the floor next to the bed.

He placed his arm around her and pulled her in closer to him, breathing in the peppermint shampoo she used in her hair. He kissed her deeply and nearly melted when he felt her fingers run through his curls, her soft touch causing a moan to rise in his throat. He had waited for this all day.

"Hi," he said in a husky voice once they finally pulled apart, his eyes heavy-lidded.

"Hi," she smiled back, a lovely sight to see. "Long day?"

"You have no idea," he shook his head. She could see the worry lines form on his forehead. "The things we saw today…" his words trailed off and she could feel his body tense at the thought of whatever happened down at the sheriff's office.

Her eyebrows knitted together in worry. "You want to talk about it?"

He let out a weary sigh. "Not right now. I just want to turn my brain off for a minute and lie here with you."

She nodded. She wanted the same; the day had been long for her, too.

Rick toyed with the end of one of her locs. "You want to tell me about your day? Have you heard from Carl?" Their oldest son, who was in his second year at MIT, had planned to fly in tonight, but his plans had been derailed due to a blizzard.

She nodded. "I spoke with him before I put the kids to bed. The snowstorm hasn't let up yet so they've canceled all flights for tonight. Noah offered to have him to stay with him and his family until the next flight is available." She laughed. "He didn't sound too disappointed, especially when he heard about how Noah's mother goes all out for Christmas dinner."

Michonne was intensely grateful for Carl's roommate, Noah. His family lived only about thirty minutes from their dormitory and offered to have him stay as long as he needed. She made a mental note to send his family a gift and a thank you note once the holiday craziness was over.

Beneath her cheek, she could feel Rick's chest rumble with laughter. "If all goes well, we might not see him at all during this break."

"Don't even speak that into existence" she lightly scolded him, playfully tapping him on the knee.

"And Judith and Andre? They did okay today?"

"They were great. Judith was my little helper with everything and Andre kept himself busy with his toys while we baked cookies for Santa." She patted him on the stomach and winked up at him. "They just happen to be Mr. Claus' favorite- chocolate chip."

"Did Judith also convince you to let her open one gift tonight?"

"Of course," she laughed, the sound like music to his ears. "She opened Maggie's gift and hasn't let it out of her sight since."

Michonne reached for her cell on the nightstand and pulled up her recent photos. In the last one, Judith was fast asleep, her arms wrapped around a stuffed rabbit.

"She tried to open a second one, but I told her that Santa wouldn't visit if she opened too many tonight."

"Sounds fair enough."

"We filled the stockings, too."

He glanced over at the fireplace on the other side of the room. Nailed to the mantel were six red and green stockings. Michonne usually liked to color coordinate them- green for the boys and red for the girls- but this year, she added something a little extra. Each person's stocking had the letter of their first name embroidered on it, the fancy calligraphy another one of her many skills that he admired.

His gaze slid over each one- _R, M, C, J_ , and _A_ \- but it was the one on the end that caught his eye and made him pause. It was smaller than the previous five, just barely big enough to fit a candy cane. A _B_ was embroidered on it and he quickly tried to figure out who it could belong to.

He reached the depths of his mind and could not think of who. Were they expecting a guest over that he was not aware of? "Michonne, who is the _B_ for?"

He swore he could feel her smile against his chest. She reached for his hand and placed it on her stomach, spreading her fingers across his as his thoughts and her answer quickly came together.

 _B_ was for a baby.

His breath caught in response and he quickly sat up, causing her to sit up with him. His eyes met hers and he broke out into a huge grin, his happiness so evident it brought tears to her eyes.

"Really?" he asked, although he was sure that she wouldn't joke about something like this.

She nodded tearfully, still surprised by the news herself. It wasn't exactly what they had planned, but if she had learned anything over the years, it was that life never went as she had planned for it to go- and most of the time, it was for the better.

Rick covered her mouth with his and softly kissed her, his hand on her thigh as he went deeper. She smiled against him, her hand on his chest.

"I take it you're happy about this and not at all as nervous as I am?" she finally said as they stopped to take a breath. Her voice had an edge of concern. "After what happened last time.."

He cupped her cheek, hoping to give her some comfort and to melt away all of her doubts. "I know you're scared, but we'll get through this. Everything will be alright."

She nodded, placing her hand over his on her cheek. "Four kids… what were we thinking?" she said lightly, a small smile forming on her lips.

"That maybe we shouldn't have gone on that trip to Savannah," he smiled back suggestively, remembering their short getaway together where they had spent practically the whole weekend in bed making love.

"I'm convinced that you want enough kids to start a basketball team," she chuckled.

Rick tilted his head, seriously considering it. "Now that you mention it, that's not a bad idea.."

She waved her finger in his face. "Yeah, no, that's not going to happen."

He laughed as he pulled her into him, enveloping her into his arms as they leaned back against the pillows. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. He was happy and his family was safe and sound. That was all he wanted for Christmas. "This is probably the best gift I have ever gotten."

She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Rick."

"Merry Christmas, Michonne."


End file.
